


We'll Be Alright

by irlenolacroix, Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Series: The Smiling Twenties [7]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: 1920s, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Prohibition Era, Break Up, F/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Female/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 09:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21426223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlenolacroix/pseuds/irlenolacroix, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: Questionette was… quiet today, Wallus noticed.They’d been together for about six months now and Wallus liked to think he knew his girlfriend. After all, they’d been friends before and had only become closer after they began seriously dating, so he surely hoped he knew her. And he’d noticed that she seemed… off recently. She’d been less receptive to his affection for the past week or so, and he’d tried to step back, but it was hard. As much as he hated to think about it, he had to wonder if perhaps this was about The Question. But no, no, of course not, it couldn’t be… She’d seemed excited about that! It had to be something else.
Relationships: Kamal Bora & Questionette, Kamal Bora & Wallus Breadbear, Wallus Breadbear/Questionette
Series: The Smiling Twenties [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1500791
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	We'll Be Alright

**Author's Note:**

> We tried a new method of co-writing on this one, and I think it really worked well! Hopefully more stuff like this to come in the future! And hey! Once again, we have a side blog for this au! Check out thesmiling20s on tumblr to send us asks and theories and to tag us in art, if you'd like. I hope you enjoy!

Questionette was… quiet today, Wallus noticed.

They’d been together for about six months now and Wallus liked to think he knew his girlfriend. After all, they’d been friends before and had only become closer after they began seriously dating, so he surely hoped he knew her. And he’d noticed that she seemed… off recently. She’d been less receptive to his affection for the past week or so, and he’d tried to step back, but it was hard. As much as he hated to think about it, he had to wonder if perhaps this was about The Question. But no, no, of course not, it couldn’t be… She’d seemed excited about that! It had to be something else.

He’d cooked dinner for the two of them that night. Questionette was the better cook and they both knew it, but Wallus liked to try and take care of her, especially when she felt down. They were at the table in his little dining area and she was sort of eating. Kind of. Wallus was much the same, since his stomach had been queasy with nerves since she arrived. 

“You like it, babe?” Wallus asked after a few minutes of silence.

Questionette looked up suddenly, as if snapping out of a daze. “Oh! Um, yes, it is very good. Thank you.” She smiled at him, perhaps a little bit too brightly. “Perhaps someday you can help Jimothan at the bar, you are getting better at mixing ingredients.”

Wallus chuckled nervously. “Hah, I couldn’t come close to how Jim does it. Thank you though, honey, I’m glad you like it.” He paused, looking down at his plate. It’s underseasoned. 

Questionette nodded, taking another small bite, not looking at Wallus. “...How is work?” she asked, still not looking at him.

“Um…” Wallus cleared his throat. “It’s okay. Keeping the bosses happy, you know. No major scrapes recently, not since the last time.” His shoulder still sort of ached from the bullet that had pierced it a few months back.

“That is good.” Questionette gave a halfhearted smile.

Wallus nodded. “Yeah.” His voice was hoarse, and it was a moment before he spoke again. “...Are you okay?”

Questionette’s gaze remained fixed on her fork. “Why is it that you ask?”

“You, uh… You’ve just felt different recently. Like there’s something on your mind.” Wallus put down his fork and leaned down a little, trying to catch his girlfriend’s eye. “You can talk to me, honey.”

“Je connais.” Questionette still did not look up.

“...Is this about… you know, the question I asked you?”

Questionette finally lifted her gaze, but looked pointedly away from Wallus. “Which?”

“You know…” Wallus leaned a little to the side. Please look at me. “About moving in together.”

Questionette swallowed. “...I want to talk with you about something.”

“About that?”

“Non. No. Well… Sort of.” Questionette looked down, fidgeting with the fabric on her dress. “I want to say first that I do love you. Very much.”

“I love you too.” Wallus reached his hand across the table, and after a hesitant moment, Questionette took it. “What’s this about, hon?”

“I…” Questionette chewed her lower lip and looked across the room, trying to avoid Wallus’s gaze. “I am sorry, it is difficult to say…”

Wallus felt his stomach begin to sink, and whatever appetite he’d had left vanished in a second. Oh no.

“...Are you leaving me?”

Questionette pressed her lips together and finally looked at Wallus. “I am sorry,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

“I… No, no, I just…” Wallus’s head began to spin. He hadn’t known what to expect from this dinner date, but he certainly wasn’t expecting this. “Did I, like… Did I do something? Because we can, we can talk about it, I can change if I did something wrong…”

“No, Wallus, you did not do anything! You were… You were perfect, I…” Questionette swallowed, looking down at their hands. “I do want to remain friends. Because I do care deeply about you, and—”

“What happened, then?” Wallus felt his heart pounding in his chest, so loudly that he was sure Questionette could hear it. “Did… Does it have something to do with Kamal?” Wallus hated himself for saying it the moment he said it aloud, but he didn’t want to be upset with Questionette. He knew Kamal would never, but he had to ask.

“No! Why would you even think that?” Questionette looked away again, her eyes watering a little, but no tears coming out. “Wallus, I—”

“I just don’t understand—”

“Will you let me finish, please!” The frustration in Questionette’s voice made Wallus jump, and he instantly quieted down. Regret flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and began talking again. “I… I told you before, you did not do anything wrong. This is… This is so difficult for me to say, I do not know if it is even going to come out…” She let out a short sound that might have been a laugh under different circumstances. “I think I love women… And only women. I have tried to love you in the way that you love me, Wallus, I have tried so hard, and for a while I truly thought I did! I thought if I tried hard enough then perhaps it would happen and I would not need to hurt you in this way…” There were a few quiet tears on her face now, and she squeezed his hand tightly. “You have always been such a dear friend to me, and I want you to remain so. But I cannot marry a man, Wallus. I never could. I was… I was de…” She took a moment to think of the word. “I was deluding myself to think that I could.”

A long silence passed between them. Wallus felt as though he could not speak if he wanted to. When he finally was able to get a few words out, he felt like he was talking underwater. “Okay.” He wasn’t crying. He felt more numb than anything else. “I… I understand. I understand.”

Questionette gently squeezed his hand again. “May we please remain friends?” she asked in a soft, tear-stained voice.

“Yeah.” Wallus said it a little too quickly. He felt hoarse. “Y… Yeah.”

Questionette let go of his hand, but only so she could stand up and walk to his side of the table. She leaned down to hug him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for understanding,” she whispered.

Wallus didn’t respond verbally aside from a quiet “Yeah”. He hugged her back, albeit lightly, his eyes defocused and his vision slightly blurred.

* * *

“Is...is everything okay?”

Kamal and Questionette had been practicing their routine for almost two hours now, and while it was coming together well, something was off. Questionette wasn’t herself, and it was beginning to bother Kamal. He knew better than anyone that there were bad days, but this was different. It had seemed more like a bad week for her. But only when it was just the two of them. Around others she seemed fine. 

“I…” Questionette sighed and sat heavily on the edge of the stage. Kamal glanced around the speakeasy and found it empty except for them and Jimothan. He was checking on their supplies. But...well, he probably wouldn’t bother them.

“Talk to me ‘Nette,” Kamal said, coming over to sit next to her. She quickly leaned against him, and he began to play with her hair.

“I broke things off with Wallus,” she said. Kamal nodded. He had seen it coming, but he hadn’t wanted to say anything so that the two of them could figure things out on their own. “I realized that I could never spend my life with a man. I don’t think I can even love a man. In that way at least, you know that you and Wallus are both so very dear to me.” Kamal hummed and kissed the top of her head. She shook with a small sob, and he opted to wrap his arms around her. “I’m afraid that I’ve crushed him. He wanted me to move in with him! He was so ready and sure that our relationship was at the next stage, and I shut him down. What if I’ve broken our friendship beyond repair?” 

“‘Nette, you haven’t broken anything. Wallus is...he’s a sensitive guy, I can’t deny that he’ll likely be upset for a while. But the two of you are close, I know you can work it out. The other option would have been worse for both of you anyways. Like you said, you can’t spend your life with a man. And he deserves to be with someone who loves him.”

“But I do love him! Why couldn’t I do it in the way he wants?” Her frustrated shout alerted Jimothan. He raised an eyebrow at Kamal, who just shook his head. Jimothan seemed to take the hint and just went back to taking stock.

“You can’t change the way you love people. And I know you spent so long figuring out what you wanted so you could communicate it well. You spent time thinking about how to tell him. You’re very sweet ‘Nette. It’s obvious you love him. Just not in that way. And that’s okay! You don’t have to love him in that way for him to be dear to you. The two of you will smooth things over, I promise. I’m here to help if you need me too. I can be a negotiator!” Kamal said. Questionette chuckled and wiped her eyes. 

“Thank you petit moineau.” She stood and quickly pulled Kamal up as well. 

“No problem kitten.” He gripped her hand tightly for a moment. “Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

* * *

“I’m...I’m worried that she’s mad at me.” Wallus sighed and put his head in his hands. Kamal reached across the table to try and take one of his hands, but he just jerked away. Kamal pressed his lips together and glanced around. He had taken Wallus out to try and get his mind off of things, but it didn’t seem to be working. It was sort of secluded, they could talk about this here.

“She’s not mad at you. Even though you need your space, she’s not mad,” Kamal said. “She’s just worried about you Wallus. She doesn’t want you to be sad.”

“Can we please go get sloshed?” Wallus asked. Kamal huffed.

“No. In fact, I’m giving you a ban on the Habitat, aside from work, for the next week. And I’ll extend that if I need to.” He knew that Dallas and Mirphy would smuggle Wallus booze if he asked for it, but this at least made it harder for him to drink. 

“You’re the worst,” Wallus complained.

“Getting drunk doesn’t solve your problems. You taught me that.” They sat in silence for a little while.

“Can you talk to her for me? I just want to know if I did something wrong. She says I didn’t but…” Kamal sighed.

“I’m not talking to her for you anymore Wallus. You’ll have to man up and tell her yourself.” Wallus groaned. “Wallus...she’s worried about you. About you and her. She thinks-”

“There is no ‘me and her’.” Wallus said bitterly. Kamal frowned.

“You’re still her friend. There is still a you and her. She thinks you’re mad at her. She thinks she broke your spirits.”

“She did.” Kamal winced at Wallus cold tone. But Wallus sighed and shook his head. “What am I saying? She didn’t do anything wrong...I’m being harsh.”

“It’s okay to be hurt Wallus, or to need time, or to feel bitter. But she didn’t do anything. And you won’t get better if you don’t try to,” Kamal said. Wallus nodded and looked up to smile at him, albietly nervously.

“Thanks ‘Mal. You’re right. I’ll talk to her and I’ll try not to lose my cool.”

“I don’t think you will. You’re a sweet guy Wallus. I think you guys just need to talk a bit more, that’s all. And I’m sick of going between the two of you.” Wallus rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Sorry...at least we didn’t make you pick a side,” he said. Kamal held up his glass.

“Cheers to that my friend.”

* * *

Wallus had Kamal deliver one last message between him and Questionette, but it was only so they would have a place to meet. Central Park, a place that held meaning to the two of them. Wallus had taken her here on their first date. Maybe it hadn’t been the best decision, but he couldn’t really think of anywhere else to meet her, outside of the Habitat. Which was even worse, since it was where they worked. He noticed she was really nervous when she spotted him, but he tried to give her a reassuring smile, and that seemed to work.

“Hey ‘Nette,” he said, waving slightly. She waved back, chuckling.

“Hello Wallus,” she replied. They stood there for a moment, just looking around. “So...you wanted to talk?” Questionette finally asked, turning to make eye contact. He couldn’t hold it and looked away, and she sighed quietly. 

“Yeah...can we walk while we talk? Helps clear my head.” Questionette nodded and took his arm. He jumped and jerked away. “S-sorry.”

“No, it is alright! I should have asked,” she said. She smiled at him and he tried to smile back. “Let’s walk then.”

They walked in silence for a little while, just taking things in. There weren’t many other people out, but that made sense, since it was standard work hours. A couple mothers with their children, but other than that, nobody. Eventually Questionette cleared her throat and Wallus shook his head slightly. 

“So...we should...we should talk this out,” he said. Questionette nodded.

“Do...do you have anything you want to say? You should start,” she said. Wallus took a deep breath.

“You...you couldn’t’ve told me sooner? I...I thought we were close enough to move in together, but we weren’t even close enough that you could be honest with me…” he said. Questionette frowned.

“I told you as soon as I knew,” she replied. “I would not have lead you on like that Wallus. It wasn’t something I discovered over night either. You should know that.” Wallus nodded. He did know. “You asking put a lot of things into perspective for me. That is why I figured it out hen and not sooner.”

“That makes sense…” Wallus said. “Is...is there anything you want to say?” Questionette hesitated before nodding.

“You...you are not mad at me, are you?” She asked. Wallus chuckled, he’d been thinking the same thing.

“I...I don’t know. If I am, I won’t be forever. And I don’t hate you. I could never hate you ‘Nette,” he said. She nodded, but she wouldn’t look at him. “I don’t think I am. I’m just...I’m mad at the situation I guess.” 

“That makes sense…” she muttered. He stopped to take her hand and she turned to look at him. There were tears in her eyes, and he felt some coming on himself, but he didn’t let that stop him. 

“I think we’ll have more talks like this as things get better. I think we’ll take breaks from each other as things heal. But you will never stop being my friend Questionette. Never.” 

She smiled at him and hugged him tightly. He hugged back, no matter how bad he wanted to shove her off. She needed this, he needed it. He buried his face in her hair and sighed deeply. They’d be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, not this week, maybe not even this month, but they’d be okay. And they had each other to see themselves through it.

“We’ll be alright,” he muttered as he began to cry.


End file.
